To those who know me well, it should come as no surprise that on my first night in Sydney I went to a huge sporting event. The Rugby Union league semifinals were in Sydney, and a few folks from Bain that I had met the night before were planning on attending. Luckily the game was not sold out (reasons mentioned below), so I was able to get some tickets in the “cheap seats”.
The best news was “cheap seats” were actually first row seats in the end-zone. These seats make it hard to see the other side of the 120 yard field, but if the action is on your side, I say they’re really some of the best seats in the house.
Now, on to why it wasn’t a complete sell-out. There are three different ‘football’-like leagues in Australia:
Rugby Union: This is traditional rugby as we think of it, and most of the global competitions are this type of rugby. The main rules are 6 downs, and “stoppages” in play after a person gets taken down. The origins of this type of rugby is in English prep schools.
Rugby League: this is the Aussie-fied version of rugby. The rules are a tad bit different, and the working class of Australia likes this game the best. It’s not the “prep-school” breed and is native to Australia. This is the most popular game in New South Wales (the province where Sydney is located).
Australian Rules Football (AFL): I still don’t really understand this sport, but it’s AWESOME. The hits are incredible, and it’s really high scoring. AFL is most popular in Melbourne, and I plan to go to a game soon
Because this semifinal game was the 3rd most popular version of ‘football’, the game didn’t sell-out. The match pitted the Sydney Warataughs against the Durbin (South Africa) Sharks. The game was exciting from the start, even though I really didn’t know the rules at all at the beginning of the game (and still really don’t know them now). Knowledge notwithstanding, the game was action-packed and the two 15-year old kids behind me were happy to share their knowledge with an American who had never been to a game before.
Sydney blew out the Sharks (30-18), and by the end of the game the crowd was taunting the visiting team. In the course of the game, there were a few monster hits. These guys were amazing athletes and no doubt incredibly strong, but I was actually surprised that the players were not more athletic looking. None of them looked like NFL linebackers, and instead looked closer to the size of a bouncer.
They played extremely hard though. These guys ran full speed the entire time they were in there, fought for every yard, and simply beat up on each other. There were a few times that I heard the “crack” of a hit, just like at a football game. What makes that remarkable though is that they aren’t wearing any pads! The crack was skin and bone on skin and bone. Needless to say, by the end of the game, I was hooked. I’ll be on the edge of my seat for the finals next Saturday.
Notes: When I asked the kids behind me what was their favorite was out of Rugby League, Rugby Union, and AFL was, his answer was priceless. “If you don’t like AFL, you’re not Australian. If you don’t like rugby, you’re not a man!”
The best news was “cheap seats” were actually first row seats in the end-zone. These seats make it hard to see the other side of the 120 yard field, but if the action is on your side, I say they’re really some of the best seats in the house.
Now, on to why it wasn’t a complete sell-out. There are three different ‘football’-like leagues in Australia:
Rugby Union: This is traditional rugby as we think of it, and most of the global competitions are this type of rugby. The main rules are 6 downs, and “stoppages” in play after a person gets taken down. The origins of this type of rugby is in English prep schools.
Rugby League: this is the Aussie-fied version of rugby. The rules are a tad bit different, and the working class of Australia likes this game the best. It’s not the “prep-school” breed and is native to Australia. This is the most popular game in New South Wales (the province where Sydney is located).
Australian Rules Football (AFL): I still don’t really understand this sport, but it’s AWESOME. The hits are incredible, and it’s really high scoring. AFL is most popular in Melbourne, and I plan to go to a game soon
Because this semifinal game was the 3rd most popular version of ‘football’, the game didn’t sell-out. The match pitted the Sydney Warataughs against the Durbin (South Africa) Sharks. The game was exciting from the start, even though I really didn’t know the rules at all at the beginning of the game (and still really don’t know them now). Knowledge notwithstanding, the game was action-packed and the two 15-year old kids behind me were happy to share their knowledge with an American who had never been to a game before.
Sydney blew out the Sharks (30-18), and by the end of the game the crowd was taunting the visiting team. In the course of the game, there were a few monster hits. These guys were amazing athletes and no doubt incredibly strong, but I was actually surprised that the players were not more athletic looking. None of them looked like NFL linebackers, and instead looked closer to the size of a bouncer.
They played extremely hard though. These guys ran full speed the entire time they were in there, fought for every yard, and simply beat up on each other. There were a few times that I heard the “crack” of a hit, just like at a football game. What makes that remarkable though is that they aren’t wearing any pads! The crack was skin and bone on skin and bone. Needless to say, by the end of the game, I was hooked. I’ll be on the edge of my seat for the finals next Saturday.
Notes: When I asked the kids behind me what was their favorite was out of Rugby League, Rugby Union, and AFL was, his answer was priceless. “If you don’t like AFL, you’re not Australian. If you don’t like rugby, you’re not a man!”
1 comment:
As your father, I couldn't be prouder of the sheep reference (although my suggestion was, Australia: Where Men are Men and the Sheep Can't Talk). Good luck with the Sheilas, through a kanga on the barbie and your fortunate that you already speak fluent croc.
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